Ares was escorted down and out of the ship and over to the warehouse where he had a pretty great vantage point from a nearby watchtower. Though the Federation kept an eye out for the Fins themselves it was always wise to have your own countermeasures at the ready and the C.E.O had some people posted up here for that very reason. Not enough to guarantee the wares'' safety during a raid but enough to be able to notify the C.E.O when it was happening and allocate more guards from the shop at that time. Whenever this happened, a Fins raid, the two shops had somewhat of a truce and sent a majority of their men to go deal with the obnoxious pirates.


    Ares looked out to the ocean and certainly couldn''t deny that the name of the pirate group was particularly apt as all he could see right now were hundreds of fins breaking through the water and rapidly approaching. This was still really just a start, as there would be more of them approaching from other angles across the entirety of the Federation, and it really felt like a small scale aquatic invasion. Perhaps they smelled blood in the water and thought the rumours about the Firestarters were juicy enough to come and also cause some trouble while everyone was distracted in that search? Either way, they were here to be a nuisance and Ares wasn''t planning on letting them bother this warehouse! He would fend them off here and then go clean up whatever was left of the ragtag assaulters spreading pandemonium across the rest of the ship. Once more, Voidwalk would prove to be incredibly beneficial as it allowed Ares to freely navigate this country without needing to rely on the inconvenient and sometimes labyrinthian bridge maze.


    Though Ares wasn''t employed by the Federation, he could be considered their big trump card right now and so he''d probably get paid a bit more for this as there was no way Hunter could come up with a gadget to deal with this lot. They weren''t mindless creatures with one single attack pattern, they were adaptive and intelligent lifeforms that would vary up their approach every time they launched a strike. That being said, they''d picked a pretty bad time to assault the Federation. Ares was here, Aejaz was here, Esme and Onno were here, the monk was here... Somewhere. And, apparently, there were reports of these two guys running around helping with various matters. Supposedly they were quite strong but Ares hadn''t seen neither hide nor hair of them and so didn''t care particularly much. Something about them did strike a chord but he couldn''t put his finger on why and just ended up ignoring it.


    "Today''s not our lucky day... It looks like their leader is coming this way..." The guard from before, the one that escorted Ares to the C.E.O, seemingly noticed the Fins commander somehow. Ares activated Omniscience and stared ahead to try and notice any oddities and he did eventually manage to spot a slightly larger shark fin than the rest. It also had a red bandanna wrapped around it so that must have been the giveaway... This guard had good eye sight! To be able to see that far out from here without any external aid? Even with his Omniscience Ares could only just about see the middle finger poking up out of the water at him!... Wait a minute... Rude! At least Ares was pretty sure that was a middle finger... It could have honestly been a ''we come in peace gesture'' or even gang signs for all Ares knew at this range. "Their leader, Fin, is near the peak of transition realm so he''ll be quite hard to hold back..."


    Two and half realms ahead, huh? Ares went over his chances in his head but he wasn''t too concerned. The only real issue would be if the guy had a strong bloodline but stuff like that was rare in the lower domains. Most people''s ancestors were weak cultivators with no specialty or uniqueness to speak of so the chances of coming up against someone with a bloodline in the wild was not high. Really, the thing that bothered Ares the most right now... Was his name! "Oi, is this guy seriously called Fin? Fin, leader of the Fins, and they all have fins? Seriously? I mean the branding is on point but the naming? I dunno about that one, chief." Ares shook his head at the guard who was smiling wryly as now hardly seemed like the time to be complaining about such an irrelevant detail... Not that the guard disagreed necessarily.


    Ares hopped over the railings on the watch tower and spread the Zephyr to hover down and onto the warehouse roof below. He figured he would give these unwelcome visitors an Ares style greeting seeing as how they were still decently far away. Long story short, it was "Perish Wheel" time! Ares had wanted to cast this back when he was boarding the Federation but got denied by Onno due to the problems it would cause. Sure it would still rock the boat a little even at the distance he was throwing it now but, hey, you can''t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs! It was for a good cause and if it gave Ares the advantage in the upcoming fight, by maybe injuring Fin before he arrived, then nobody could complain! They didn''t need fancy gadgets to stop the Fins from attacking, they just needed to kill off anyone and everyone capable of leading them and that was Ares'' goal. The Federation lot were free to come down here and kill the guy themselves if they wanted to, or had better means a their disposal, but Ares guessed not. The only way the Federation could repel Fin in previous years must have been through overwhelming him with numbers as it didn''t seem like anybody aboard this ship had the cultivation qualifications, or combat skill, to go toe to, err... Webbed foot with him? Not all sharkin had webbed feet with no toes but some certainly did and Ares had no idea if that were the case with Fin himself.


    As Ares went about the usual summoning process for the Perish Wheel, his antics were being watched by the Fins who had a sinking feeling in their gut that this was not going to be good. They received orders from Fin to try and maybe scatter by hiding under the water, and throwing up whatever defensive arts they could muster, but even he didn''t sound too confident. He was seriously regretting his decision to attack this place as it seemed like some kind of big shot was aboard and ready to make their life way more difficult. Still, he couldn''t just call it off! People were already on the ship and so a retreat order this soon would cause uncertainty in their ranks and lead to a sloppy escape with some people getting left behind. Namely those who were infiltrating deeper as they specialised in infiltration. Everyone else could just hop back into the water but what about the people hidden amongst the crowds or hiding out in the local businesses waiting to ambush civilians? Besides, so long as this big shot wasn''t some expert from Vraizon, above the transition realm, then Fin felt confident he could hold his own for however long was necessary for his people to do good work elsewhere.


    Maybe if Fin had kept up to date on the happenings on land would he have known who this was just from this art alone. Alas, he was someone who mostly dwelled underwater for long periods of time and only ever occasionally surfaced for resources and food before heading back down. The Fins did have a private island sort of hidden base somewhere in the ocean but it was remote and no news was getting anywhere near it so, although they hadn''t been living under a rock, they''d basically been living on one instead. They were planning on updating their information but they figured they could do that, as well as a few other things, after stopping by the Federation... If only they knew that the one time they didn''t really try and gather information properly ahead of time was the one time some pretty major stuff had gone down. Oh well, their loss. Ares wasn''t the monologuing type, for the most part as there could be exceptions, so these sharkin could die before they even knew or understood what hit them!


    The mana was finally done congregating above Ares'' head and the buzzing Perish Wheel had taken shape so Ares lobbed the thing immediately as that would give the sharkin as little time to swim out the way as possible. Watching the Fins scatter brought Ares immense joy as the respect he could demand of others with but a single art was a special kind of exhilaration. Like water ants! They were all so insignificant compared to him and couldn''t stand up against him no matter how hard they tried. They didn''t dare try to join together and combine their efforts to stop the wheel, they simply had to obey Ares'' indirect decree to split up and run away. The truth of the matter, however, was that they could hide but they really couldn''t run. If they thought swimming a few metres away from their starting point was enough to get them to safety they were about to have a rude awakening.


    After a good few seconds of travel time, the Perish Wheel finally made contact with the water... And just kept going. This was an art capable of tearing through steel bunkers with ease, thanks to the disintegration edges, so what chance did some splishy splashy water have? Sure there was resistance, and unsurprisingly the momentum of the art began to decay rapidly, but it was making decent headway underwater for projectiles'' standards and nothing could stop it outright other than an immensely powerful cultivator. Alas, such a thing Fin was not so he had to swim aside and throw up a defensive art. Some kind of water pillar art that summoned a defensive bubble was what he used but Ares had never seen it before so he couldn''t put a name on it. Plus the guy must have chanted underwater so the chances of any sound making its way to Ares'' ears from all the way over there was nil. What Ares could tell, though, was that this guy had made a pretty big mistake and underestimated the Wheel. He must have seen that it was a kid throwing it and had second thoughts, doubts, about whether the person responsible for the art was even really that powerful or if it was just a massive bluff. The fact that he was trying to block it, instead of just running further, was evident of his cocky thought process. Oh well, he''d have that confidence blown right out of him. He wouldn''t die, he was a bit too strong and the defensive art wasn''t completely useless, but he was going to feel the burn when that thing went off and he finally realised he was messing around with a very serious threat to his life


    BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Even the distance from the Federation to the detonation point, as well as the water submerging the art, couldn''t quite drown out the immense noise that was evidence of Ares'' kicking things off with his arts. The golden pillar that erupted upwards towards the heavens created a sort of whirlpool affect around the area of water it detonated as well as a typhoon of pure water that was raging across the ocean. The skies had briefly turned dark in a foreboding way before the golden pillar of light shot straight through the darkness like a beacon or a lighthouse guiding those lost at sea. It was a beautiful sight and also confirmation that Ares had definitely gotten stronger since the last time he used this thing. All the extra cultivation levels had made this thing really pop in contrast to the surroundings when it went off as it look like some kind of divine pillar, causing everything in the vicinity to sparkle in holy splendour in daunting fashion. Ah but the damage was most definitely unholy as waves raged back and forth and an oceanic cataclysm rolled in every which way. Stormy seas aplenty as the Federation rocked gently to and fro. The fact this entire country was moving as a result of an art cast not even directly at it was truly indicative of how disastrous the art was for anything within in its direct radius, namely the Fins who were wiped out pretty much on the spot.


    Only the Fins at transition or higher even stood a chance of surviving and, even then, it wasn''t likely without sustaining life threatening injuries. The only person to really come out of this close to being unscathed, and even then not quite, was Fin himself. He had chunks of his shark fin and tail missing and was hunched over underwater in a pool of his own blood. Shock and awe overcame him as his bloodied hands reached out to the lifeless corpses of his comrades who were blown into multiple chunks of fish food. Only the pain coursing through him reminded him he was in an active warzone and that he couldn''t just sit here idly while the opponent was left unchecked. He''d never seen anything like this before and all his confidence was shattered by a cold, hard reality that everyone else was essentially dead. He''d conducted so many effortless raids in the past, and rarely lost more than one or two members at a time, so this was almost cruel to him. He had no right to complain, given the nature of what he and his crew did to to others, but anger and indignation was still eating away at him and he wanted payback against the person responsible!


    Fin rose to the surface and sped the rest of the way to the Federation. Without his cronies to slow him down he tore through the water at blinding speeds and Ares almost didn''t even have time to react to this guy lunging out of the water at him from nearly fifty feet away. The sheer speed this man could generate in the water when he was taking things seriously was no joke! Ares made a note to fight him on land for now and not push his luck as this guy was definitely stronger than a lot of other people he''d faced. Not stronger overall than Mako but still up there! Ares wasn''t too fussed though as he had both Canis Stimulants and Dominus up his sleeve in case things started looking dire. Having that safety net allowed him to be confident in himself and, thus, he pulled out the scythe!... It''s a good thing his wives weren''t here to see this otherwise they would have slapped him across the back of the head.... But he was getting better with it! Unironically, it was one of his best weapons currently! He really wasn''t just thinking that to use it as an excuse for wielding this thing, he truly meant it!


    Anyway, back to the incoming sharkin, Ares activated his physical pressure and avoided competing in raw strength with the guy, because that looked to be a doomed effort based on his fierce muscles, so Ares dodged the lunge and swiped at the passing sharkin''s tail. It curled up and dodged so Ares hopped off the warehouse roof and chased the guy while the guard he''d come with went off into the water to go finish up the other pirates who were half dead. The guard took the easy job because there was no way someone like him could get involved in the fight between Ares and Fin and he knew better than to try as he might actually distract Ares if anything.


    Thud


    Ares landed into a hop and a bouncy step with some swagger in it as he was feeling good even in the face of a peak transition realm cultivator. He was well rested since his last major scuffle and had been itching for a good fight to get some training in. He''d been mostly practicing pressure and cultivation stuff so a chance to whale on an actual opponent who''d put up a fight was the perfect way to switch things up!


    "Kid..." Fin snarled at Ares through his gritted teeth, which looked incredibly sharp and reminded Ares not to get caught in them, and spat out some of his hatred towards Ares. "... I''m gonna chew through your bones and rip you in half. Now we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Come quietly and maybe I won''t drown you while I eat you!"


    "Can''t we do this normal way? Can''t you just leave and go live a normal life instead of resorting to this? Not that I mind fighting you, Im actually in the mood for this, but wouldn''t things be better for you if you just fled from me now? No offense, but you don''t have what it takes to beat me in a fight."


    "Half way through sensory enhancement and you think you''re hot shit?!" Fin had admittedly only just now realised that the kid before him was a weakling! He was almost stunned stupid because that art from earlier, and the ability to dodge his lunge and attempt a retaliation, was not something that someone at his level should have been able to do. His thoughts were jumbled and it felt like he''d just been smacked in the face by reality again. "Some kind of prodigy? Them fancy titles and nicknames you lot get aren''t gonna mean jack shit when I get my jaws on you. I''ll pour vinegar in your eyes before I eat ''em, don''t expect an easy death by the time Fin is through with ya. Especially not after what you did to my crew!" Fin lunged once more but his attack was way slower this time. The guy lost a significant chunk of power the second he stepped on land and so Ares had an even easier time of dealing with Fin''s reckless assault now. Ares simply raised the scythe and brought it crashing down vertically in front of him such that the tip would bury itself into Fin''s skull if he stubbornly kept charging. Fin kissed his teeth and grinded to a halt, annoyed that this kid hadn''t just been lucky earlier and was actually a problem Fin was going to have solve instead of mindlessly chew his way through.


    Ares buried the scythe into the ground and treated it as a pole, pushing himself up and leaping towards the wall next to him with his right foot. His left foot shot out and aimed for Fin''s head but it was never really supposed to hit in the first place. It''s goal was to make Fin duck under it and the guy fell hook, line, and sinker for the bait. It seemed this guy was strong but pretty mindless in combat as he relied on brute strength, and not strategy or technique, so Ares already knew he had this in the bag even without external aid. It was entirely possible for Ares to beat peak transition realm cultivators if they weren''t actually particularly capable in combat and Fin seemed to fall under that category. He was the kind of person that relied on his cultivation advantage to squash weaker opponents who couldn''t resist and the fact he was still hanging around in Sheryashka was pretty solid proof of that. Cultivators with goals or ambitions would just keep cultivating and move to the next domain as soon as possible. A somewhat valid point could be raised about not abandoning his crew but he still should have taken some time out to go and improve his cultivation regardless while the crew laid low and waited patiently for him. When he made a grand return he would have been nigh unstoppable. Alas, laziness seemed rife with this guy and so the situation that was befalling him right now was a result of his own hubris at having accomplished a pretty respectable feat for Sheryashkans. Not everyone could reach peak transition realm and it showed that held won countless battles at the very least. Still, that didn''t mean he was guaranteed to win every battle he fought and he needed to remember that in his next life so as not to stubbornly push through even when it was becoming obvious he shouldn''t. After what happened next, a logical expert would have turned tail, used their aquatic advantage to the fullest and swam away from this place. That thought would never cross Fin''s mind, however, so his fate was basically sealed.


    Though Ares'' left foot missed, he kicked off the wall and swung his right foot as a follow-up that Fin would struggle to dodge. He did foolishly try running away from the foot but what he forgot about was the planted scythe currently acting as a mobility option. Ares wasn''t just using it to raise himself up, it also acted like a pole he could swing around and boost his momentum even further. That was precisely what he did so the range of his kick was extended and it chased down the fleeing sharkin, smacking him in the back of the head. The first hit of this fight had been landed and it was a pretty snazzy one from Ares who''d utilised his scythe not as a weapon, but as a platform to manoeuvre off of and launch a wide-sweeping kick. This showed a level of comfort with the weapon such that he could be a bit whimsical and go with the flow without having to be stuck to exclusively swinging the pointy end of the weapon in order to damage his foes. He had creativity and options at his disposal now!


    As for Fin, he was reeling as Ares'' boot, laden with pressure, hit like a truck. It was a strange sensation because the pressure made it feel like he''d been hit by an attack that came at him in a spiral. It was a good observation, even if he didn''t understand it, because Ares had experimented on him and imbued a deflect into the kick to increase the repulsion Fin suffered from the boot to the face. His neck was swung away violently, and his jaw was way more sore than it would have been otherwise, so Ares considered this to be a mild success. Mild because it was still difficult to do and it was very easy for things to go wrong if the opponent expected it or even just so happened to accidentally avoid it by moving. Deflects had to be perfectly timed and directed so doing it to a moving, living target who''s actions weren''t predictable, was asking for trouble. Still, Ares had the perfect opportunity, as Fin really hadn''t seen the attack coming and didn''t even react to it, so he went for gold and came back with results. Would he do it again? Probably not. Just because something worked, and could be helpful, that didn''t mean Ares had to add it to his repertoire. Sometimes, having too many options was a bad thing. Plus he didn''t want to rely on something so finnicky at a crucial juncture and fail. It was a neat trick, one he''d remember, but probably not use all too often if at all. His pressure was strong enough without it! Hell Ares could have just used Stamp Out instead and that would have maybe even done more damage anyway so this was all just unnecessary. Training was training though, and knowing this meant he''d furthered his mastery of his own talents! And, right now, it was time to use Fin as a practice dummy and train some more!